There’s something rather exciting happening at Restaurant Örme in Urmston.

The Michelin Guide-listed restaurant on Church Road has recently taken a new direction, moving away from its previous tasting-menu format and introducing a more relaxed menu of seasonal sharing plates.

It’s still ambitious cooking, still beautifully presented and still very much rooted in British produce — but the experience now feels more accessible, sociable and, importantly, like somewhere you could come back to regularly.

We visited Örme to see what the new menu is all about, and opted to work our way through a selection of the sharing plates.

And there was plenty to like.

A warm welcome

We started with the Warm Ale & Malt Loaf with Smoked Marmite Butter, which arrived looking every bit as comforting as it sounds.

The freshly baked loaf, topped with seeds and served alongside the rich Marmite butter, was the perfect introduction to the meal. There’s something wonderfully British about warm bread, malt and Marmite, and Örme gives the combination a suitably refined treatment without losing that comforting quality, I could literally have eaten it again and again.

It was quickly followed by the Cumbrian Fennel Salami, a simple but very good way to start the meal. The fennel brings its characteristic aromatic sweetness to the salami, making it a particularly good accompaniment to a drink while deciding what else to order.

Lancashire Cheddar, but not as you know it

Next came the Smoked Lancashire Cheddar Muffin with Dill Pickle Ketchup.

This was one of those dishes that sounds deceptively straightforward on the menu but looks anything but ordinary when it arrives.

The golden muffin was topped with a generous layer of smoked Lancashire Cheddar and finished with the dill pickle ketchup. Rich, savoury cheese and sharp, tangy pickle is a combination that needs very little introduction, but Örme manages to make it feel like a proper restaurant dish rather than simply cheese on toast.

It was indulgent, packed with flavour and one of the dishes that immediately stood out, a massive thumbs up from us.

Trout croquettes with plenty of crunch

The Chalk Stream Trout Croquettes with Pickled Cucumber and Aioli followed.

Crisp and golden on the outside, the croquettes were packed with trout and paired with the cool freshness of pickled cucumber and creamy aioli.

I am not the biggest trout fan, but this won me over. There’s a lovely contrast between the crisp coating and softer filling, while the pickled cucumber brings exactly the acidity needed to balance the richness.

It’s the kind of plate that works particularly well with Örme’s new sharing format — something you can pick up, share between the table and move on to the next dish without the meal ever feeling overly formal.

Beef tartare steals the show

Then came the Beef Tartare with Pickled Walnut and Caramelised Onion Cracker.

This was one of the standouts of our meal.

The tartare was beautifully presented as a neat cylinder, topped with a delicate garnish and framed by crisp caramelised onion crackers. The combination of rich beef, pickled walnut and sweet onion worked particularly well, with the contrasting textures making every mouthful interesting.

The crackers also provided the perfect vehicle for scooping up the tartare.

It’s a good example of what makes Örme’s cooking work: recognisable ingredients, but used in ways that aren’t particularly predictable.

Crispy lamb shoulder scrumpet

The Crispy Lamb Shoulder Scrumpet with Pickled Kohlrabi Slaw and Sweet & Sour Mint took things in a completely different direction.

Lamb shoulder is naturally rich and deeply flavoured, while the crispy exterior of the scrumpet adds another layer of texture. The pickled kohlrabi slaw and sweet-and-sour mint bring freshness and acidity into the mix.

It’s a clever combination because the accompanying elements stop the lamb from becoming too rich, while still allowing the lamb to be the star.

The scrumpet itself is wonderfully indulgent, with that crisp exterior giving way to the rich lamb filling.

Duck with a fruity twist

Our larger dish was the Creedy Carver Duck Breast with Blueberry Hoisin Ketchup and Cavolo Nero.

This was perhaps the most substantial plate of the meal and a great example of Örme’s modern British approach.

The duck is paired with blueberry hoisin ketchup, bringing together the richness of the meat with sweet, fruity and savoury flavours. Cavolo nero adds some bitterness and texture alongside it.

It’s an unusual combination when you first read it on the menu, but it works.

And that’s something we found throughout the meal: Örme isn’t trying to make food complicated for the sake of it. There are plenty of interesting combinations, but they generally have a reason for being there.

Finishing with dark chocolate

We finished with the Dark Chocolate Mousse with Peanut, Honeycomb and Malt Ice Cream.

If there’s one dessert combination that is almost impossible to dislike, it’s chocolate, peanut and something crunchy — and the honeycomb adds exactly that contrast here, think Snickers (aka Marathon).

The malt ice cream brings another layer of flavour, giving the dessert a slightly more grown-up edge than a straightforward chocolate pudding.

Rich, indulgent and full of contrasting textures, it was a suitably decadent way to finish what had been a very satisfying meal.

So, what’s changed at Örme?

Quite a lot — but perhaps not as much as you might initially think.

The biggest change is the format. Rather than committing to a tasting menu, diners can now choose individual dishes and share them across the table, with the £60 per person Feasting Menu also available for those who want the kitchen to make the decisions.

For us, the sharing-plate approach worked particularly well.

We could pick exactly what appealed to us, move between lighter and richer dishes and try considerably more of the menu than we would have done by ordering traditional starters and mains.

It also makes Örme feel much more relaxed.

This is still Michelin-listed cooking, and there is clearly plenty of technical skill behind the food, but you don’t feel as though you’re signing up for a formal fine-dining experience.

And perhaps that’s exactly what Örme needs.

One more reason to return

There’s another reason Örme is firmly on my radar for a return visit: Sunday lunch.

I’ve heard some very good things about their Sunday lunches, and it’s something I’m particularly keen to try for myself. They aren’t currently running, but I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for their return.

If the standard of the cooking we experienced on this visit is anything to go by, I have a feeling an Örme Sunday roast could be something rather special.

So, consider this one unfinished business — I’ll be looking forward to giving it a proper ManchesterFoodTourist taste test when Sunday lunch makes its return.

Verdict

It’s great to see Örme continuing to evolve.

With the new format, Örme feels less like somewhere you save for a special occasion and more like somewhere you could drop into, order a few plates, have a drink and enjoy a very good meal.

Örme may have changed direction, but it certainly hasn’t lost its ambition.

And judging by our meal, it’s a restaurant that’s well worth keeping an eye on.

Restaurant Örme
Church Road, Urmston, Manchester

Feasting Menu: £60 per person
Style: Modern British sharing plates
Michelin Guide: Listed

ManchesterFoodTourist visited Restaurant Örme independently.